Directory-board.



A. MERK-wuz. DIRECTORY BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1913.

1 1 32, 1 O8. Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

,5m/frs 0f THE C/Ty I AUGUST KERK-WIM 0F ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.

DIRECTORY-BOARD.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.A

Application Mei June 18, 1913. Serial No. 774,438.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUST MERK-Wurz, acitizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residing at Zurich, haveinvented certain new .and useful Improvements in Directory- Boards, ofwhich the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates to improvements in directory boards provided withmaps, charts, and such like.

It is an object of the invention to facilitate the finding of certainpoints on a map and to indicate the location or distance of a selectedpoint with respect to certain other points on the map, and particularlywith respect to that point which corresponds to the location where theselection is made. Even persons who have experience in reading maps andcharts are not always enabled to find their way through streets of alarge city, for it is necessary in order to interpret a map with respectto the surrounding territory to find on which point of the map thereading party is located.

It is anotherobject of the invention to form a readily readablesubstitute for travelers guides. and charts, so as to make travelershand-books and guides and similar auxiliary means unnecessary.

The present invention is not only adapted for facilitating the findingof the location of certain parts in a large city. but may also be usedto facilitate the reading of other plans, as those of exposition parks.`amusement parks. railroad maps and such like.

The reading. or finding of a certain selected locality on the map isfacilitated by making the respective point on the map conspicuous withrespect to other portions of the map, and it is, therefore, an object ofthe present invention to differentiate certain points or `portions ofthe map with respect to other portions. In order to facilitate thefinding of one of a plurality of certain points or localities means mustbe provided for selectively differentiating these points on the map fromthe other parts thereof. In the present case electric illuminationserves for rendering the selected portion different from the otherportion of the map, and it is advisable to indicate on the map thatpoint of the city, park, line or the like, where the respective map islocated by an illumination different in color or outline from theillumination of the selected points.

With these and other objects in view, I

have illustrated in the accompanying drawing an embodiment of theinvention.

Figure 1 shows in front elevation a directory board, rovided with a mapof a city or town. ig. 2 is a diagram of the circuit for theilluminating means, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through thedirectolly board.

map 4 is supported within a frame, which comprises a back plate 1 andframe members 3, at the sides, the top and the bottom thereof, the framemembers 3 preferably being made of sheet metal. They are secured to theback plate 1 and to a relatively stout board 2. These lateral and endframe members 3 also serve for holding a glass plate 7 for purposeswhich will be described later.

On the right-hand part of 'the board 2, the map 4 of the city proper issupported. The left-hand part of said board serves as a switch-board andis provided with a list, of those localities in the city which may beselectively differentiated from the remaining parts of the map. It isadvisable to indicate on the map those localities in a manner differentfrom the indication of the other parts. as, for instance. by showingthese localities shaded or in cross-hatching. and also to providereference characters with leaders pointing to the selectable portions.For instance, G. O. may indicate Grand Opera. V may indicateValideville. N may indicate National Monument. and so on. This list 5preferably is subdivided into groups. each group having an appropriateheading. as for instance: Sights. Amusements, Department Stores,Restaurants.

A part on the man of particularlv conspicuous shading indicates thatportion of the town, park, or Athe like, on which the directory board islocated. This may, for instance. be a hotel. and it may also be providedwith a suitable reference character like H. P. (for Hotel Post) or suchlike.

The map 4 preferably is printed, or otherwise reproduced on translucentmaterial, like thin paper. The parts of the map which are to beilluminated selectively differ from the remaining parts, by shading, orby a different color, or such like. It is advisable to interpose betweenthe map 1 and the board 2 a sheet of opaque paper 6,

said sheet being provided with aperturesA underlying those portions ofthe map which sob cabe

are adapted for selective differentiation. he glass pane 7 is held inplace by the frame 3, and also by metal strips 9, as shown in Figs. 1and 3.

The selective differentiation of certaln points on the map is effectedby illumination, and for each of these oints, therefore, a source oflight 10, pre erably in the form of an incandescent lamp, is provided.The circuit containing this source of light is closed when a switch,preferably in the form of a push button 11, is actuated. The pushbuttons 11 are placed adjacent the designations of the selectablelocalities on the list 5, as may be clearly seen from Fig. 1.

The place Where the directory board itself is locatedl is also indicatedby a lamp 12, (Fig. 2) and it is advisable to use a lamp of differentcolor for the indication of the standing place of the board. The lampsfor indicating the selected points may, for in` stance, be red, and thelamp indicating where'the table is located or the point of selection isindicated may be green( The lamps 10 or 12 preferably are of conicalshape, as lamps of this kind may easily be inserted in suitableapertures underlying the selectable points of the map. These aperturesare indicated at 13 in Fig. 3, and the lamps are inserted from the rearthrough these apertures-so that their pointed or narrow tip 18 isadjacent to or projects through the aperture on the opaque sheet ofpaper 6 and is immediately below the respective point of the map 4. Itis advisable to effect the connection of the conductors 20 in thecircuit with the lamp 10 or 12 by'means of terminal plates 14 xedadjacent to aperture 13, and adapted to enter into contact with lateralterminals 21 of the lamp, as may be clearly seen from Fig. 3.

The switches in the embodiment shown comprise springs 15, which carrythe push buttons 11, said springs being permanently connected with oneof the conductors 20 leading to a lamp. The source of electric energyhere shown in form of a battery is yconnected with a bus bar 16 and if abutton is depressed the circuit through battery, busar, spring 15, andselected lamp is established.

As may be seen from Fig. 2 the lamp 12 indicating the point of selectionis inserted into the circuit whenever any of the switches 11 are closedso that upon depression of a push button not only the selected point isIndicated on the map, but also the point of selection. It may also beunderstood that the intensity of illumination of the selected point isvery strong, as the tip of the lam s 1s immediately underneath saidpoint; t e other part ofthe lamp being inclosed and covered by thesupporting board 2.

he operation of the device may readily understood from the followingexample:

A person desiring to find the location of a department store called OldEngland depresses the ush button 11 adjacent the designation ld Englandin the group of Department Stores, so that the lamp 10 controlled bythis button is supplied with current and illuminates a certain point onthe map, which point also carries the designation 0. E. At the sametime, however, the location of the point of selection, as, for instance,the Hotel Post is made conspicuous and differentiated by theillumination of the `een lamp 12 and in this way, upon depresslon .of abutton, or other similar means, the location of the selected point, aswell as the direction which has to be followed to get to this point fromthe point of selection is indicated immediately.

It is also advisable to indicate approximately by suitable means thedistance of the selected point from the point of selection. For thispurpose, all the lamps indicating localities within a certain radiusfrom the oint of selection have one color, different fliom the color ofthe lamp corresponding to the point of selection; lamps inwithin alarger radius are designated by another color and so forth. Forinstance, white lamps may serve for indicating the selectable pointswhich are within a radius of one mile from the point of selectlon, redlamps should indicate those which are two miles, blue lamps serving forindicating those points which are at a distance of three miles, yellowlamps indicating points which are four miles from the point ofselection, etc., the point of selection being indicated by a lampdifferent in color `from all others.

Another way of indicating the distance between the point of selectionand a selected point may be had by providing the interposed sheet 6 withapertures which differ in the spectator may be angular shape, squareance with the distance lection.

The conical shape of the lam ferred, because a larger number o may beilluminated thereby within a relatively small space than if ordinarylamps of pea shape or cylindricaly lamps would be use of circular shape,trishape, etc., in accordfrom the point of seis relocalities In railroadmaps the various lines leadlng to a distant point may be indicated billumination of the points through whic the lines pass. A party desiringto travel from New York to Chicago may, therefore, upon depression ofthe push button corresponding to the Erie Railroad find out throughwhich cities the Erie Railroad passes, as compared with the New Yorkbination a chart or map, means for selec- Central Line, which last namedline may tively differentiating certain points on the also bedifferentiated upon selection from map by illuminating said points andfor the other lines in a similar manner. illuminating at the saine timethe point cor- 6 It is also possible to p)roduce an illuminarespondingto the locality at which the se- 6o tion in different colors interposingsmall lection is made on the map.

transparent plates of di erent colors under 6. A directory boardcomprisin in comthe selectable point of the map. It 'is obvibination achart or map, means or selecous also that the directory board must nottively illuminating certainy points on the 10 necessarily be placedadJacent the list but map and for illuminating at the same time 66 maybe dis osed in some other locality at the oint corresponding to thelocality at the point o selection. Whic the selection is made in a lightdif- I claim: ferent from the selective point.

1. In a directory board, the combination 7. A directory board comprisingin comof a chart or map, a table showing a list of bination a chart ormap, an opaque back- 60 certain points on the map, and means actugroundfor said chart or map, a board on atable by a single operation incoaction with which said background is mounted, apera table for visiblydiferentiating a plutures in said background and board, lam s rality ofpoints on the map with respect to in said apertures and means forselective y 2o other points thereon. supplxing said lamps with electriccurrent. 66 8.

2. In a directory board, the combination directory board, comprisin incomof a chart or map with a table containin a bination a chart or mapmade o translulist of points shown on the map, said ist cent material, abackground and backbeing subdivided into groups, and electrical groundboard for said background, taperin means actuatable by a singleoperation coapertures extending through said acting with said table forvisibly diii'erenconical incandescent lamps exchangeably setiating aplurality of points on the map with cured in said apertures, and meansfor serespect to other points thereon. lectively sup lying electriccurrent to said 3. In a directory board, the combination incandescentamps.

of a chart or map with means for selectively 9. A directory boardcomprising coin- 76 diierentiating certain points on the map bination achart or map, means for illumiwith respecttoother points thereon in aprenating a point on said map in a certain determined way and fordifferentiating ancolor, said point corresponding to the point otherpoint of the map from the selected of location of the directory boardand means oar 70 36 point 1n another predetermined way, said forselectively illuminating other points on 80 other point on the mapcorrespondin to the said ma in colors diierent from each other localityat which the selection is ma e. anddi erent from the color in which the4. directory board, comprisin in comoint of location of the directoryboard is bination a chart or map, means or selecilluminated.

tively differentiating certain points on a In testimon whereof I ailixmy signature 86 map or chart from other points thereon, and in presenceo two witnesses.

for di'erentiating another point from the AUGUST MERK-WIRZ. selectivepoints, said other point indicating Witnesses: the location of thedirectory boa'.d. JOHANNES AUMUND,

46. 5. A directory board comprising in com- Dr. Max LAU'mNnAcn.

